Great Since '38:Stamey's, Greensboro, North Carolina

For a fork-dancing good meal at a reasonable price, go to Stamey's Old Fashioned Barbecue in Greensboro, NC. (There are two locations; on our first of, I hope, many visits, we ate at the one at 2206 High Point Road, just across the street from the Greensboro Coliseum.)

The place isn't fancy, the wooden booth benches mighty hard, but the chow is “wondrous good.” As people who read my food articles know, I don't have much of a sweet tooth. Stamey's suits me perfectly because they have desserts which are sweet (as is to be expected), but their non-dessert items are not all sugared up. Hallelujah! The hushpuppies taste of cornmeal and a little onion, are not greasy, and are absolutely delicious (no sugary sweetness to mess up their proper flavor.) The coleslaw, even though a touch of catsupy barbecue sauce is added to offset the vinegar, is not sweet. It is, in fact, excellent.

And the barbecue, well, it is marvelous Lexington, North Carolina-style (barbecue with vinegar and a-hint-of-tomato-flavored sauce, pit-cooked), and, in this case, perfect. Henry and I split a Chopped Pork Barbecue sandwich ($2.50) and a Chicken-Q sandwich ($2.75). The meat in both was tender, moist, and not greasy. Regular soft white hamburger buns are used. That was fine for the pork sandwich, but the chicken evidently absorbed less of the sauce, so the bottom of the bun soaked it up, becoming soggy/spongy. (Slaw usually comes on the barbecue sandwiches; we ordered ours on the side.)

One can also order plates of barbecue with which you get the slaw, and hushpuppies or rolls. — We had ordered a side of hushpuppies which cost $.99.

The Brunswick Stew, which daughter Sarah ordered, was excellent, thick with recognizable vegetables (corn, limas, green peas, potatoes) and also chunks of chicken, all in a tomato broth. Sarah enhanced the stew with plenty of Texas Pete hot sauce. (Henry and I added that, plus additional Stamey sauce to our sandwiches). The Brunswick Stew cost $1.60 for a cup, and $2.50 for a pint. (For take-out, a quart of stew is available for $5.00.)

The restaurant also offers quantity take-outs of their chopped and sliced pork barbecue, slaw, and baked beans.

For eating on the premises, three different kids' meals are included on the menu. In addition to the mentioned choices, adults can get hot dogs, french fries, and some combination plates. A nice little selection of non-alcoholic drinks is available, and there is a limited, but worthwhile, dessert selection. Henry and Sarah chose between strawberry and peach cobbler. They decided upon the peach ($1.40). One could get it with ice cream ($2.40), or just get the ice cream ($1.20). The cobbler was delicious — “some of the best ever,” according to Henry. The crust part had a little crunch, resulting in a cobbler with a nice, non-gummy texture. The peaches tasted peachy, and the syrupy part of the cobbler was pleasantly sweet, but not cloying.

In all aspects the Stamey's meal was a winner.

The Stamey family has been selling barbecue since 1938, so they certainly know their stuff. The present building at 2206 High Point Road is vintage 1979. In it are displayed old photos showing the early days of this long-running family operation. (See their website.)